A brief history on incense

Incense appear in different parts of the world and in various cultures. Each culture has a different plant based incense native to their area and different incense configurations (cones or sticks etc) to burn.

Incense have been used as a traditional gift for thousands of years as it was thought to ward off evil spirts, as well as used for medicine and healing practices.

German Smoker Men

The origin story of German Rauchermann

While incense has been around for thousands of years, the German Smokers, or Rauchermen, originated in the late 1600s in the Miriquidi Forest area of south-eastern Germany. The first German Smokers were carved from a single piece of wood and made into small figurines that resembled German villagers. The first Rauchermen (or Rauchermann in German) were designed to be placed next to a tray of incense as a decorative piece. The Incense cones were developed in the late 1700s and German smokers are now made from two pieces of wood that fit together to create one body, allowing the incense to be placed within the figurine.

Christmas tradition and German Smoker Men

How to use your German Smoker Man at Christmas

The German tradition follows that on the last day of 12 days of Christmas festival the incense is lite and placed in a German smoker to mark the end of the Festive Season. Today a small incense cone can be placed inside the Smoker, allowing incense smoke to filter out through the figurine’s mouth or chimney.  These enchanting pieces have a long and proud history in the German celebration of Christmas!

 Download our PDF on how to use your German Christmas Smoker figurine:

Using a German Smoker Man

How to use Räucherkerze or incense cones

These unique incense burners give character and charm to a traditional practice. Each figurine can usually be pulled apart at the waist and a small incense cone is placed in the bottom half. It is then lit and the upper hollowed out part is placed back over the lit cone. It burns down slowly releasing a smoke vapour which usually escapes through the mouth of the smoker man.

  

See our collection of German Incense online to bring the smells of a German Christmas into your homes!